About Jesse Lee

Atlantic Records signed a 20 year-old Jesse Lee after she sang just four songs for chairman and CEO, Craig Kallman. Said Kallman, “Jesse inspired me to plunge back into country in a major way. She reminds me of a modern-day Patsy Cline, with an amazing voice, a magnetic personality and, of course, a tremendous gift for songwriting.”

Since then Jesse has worked with Grammy Award winning producers Mark Bright (Carrie Underwood, Rascal Flatts), Nathan Chapman (Taylor Swift), and Paul Worley (Dixie Chicks, Martina McBride). Her songwriting collaborators have included American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi, as well as Hillary Lindsey (Carrie Underwood) and Liz Rose (Taylor Swift).

Jesse has loved country music ever since her Dad brought home the new sounds of Garth Brooks that he heard in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Growing up in Palo Alto, California, she fell in love with albums by Shania Twain, Bonnie Raitt, LeAnn Rimes and Trisha Yearwood. Seeing her obvious vocal talent, Jesse’s parents enrolled her in a performing-arts high school when she was 13. Soon, she was opening shows for artists such as Ronnie Milsap, Willie Nelson, Keith Urban and Clay Walker.

At 14, she made her first visit to Nashville to record a demo and by 15 was spending extended periods of time in Music City. She soon impressed the industry with her powerful voice and songwriting ability. After high school, Jesse enrolled in Belmont University’s music business program while performing at Nashville songwriters’ clubs such as the Bluebird Café, as well as historic venues like the Ryman Auditorium. She also delved into the music of such legends as Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Vern Gosdin, Dolly Parton and Rhonda Vincent, sowing the seeds for the classic/modern country hybrid sound of her future.

Jesse continued to channel her emotions into her songwriting, honing the ability to take her personal experiences and make them relatable to a wide range of people. “Writing is therapeutic and comes naturally to me,” she says. “The first thing I think about when going through something is grabbing a guitar and writing about it. There’s nothing like having someone come up to me and say, ‘I feel like you wrote that song for me.’" Jesse wrote her first single released by Atlantic Records called "It's a Girl Thing," which peaked on the Country charts at #47 (the music video was in heavy rotation on both CMT and GAC). Jesse's songs have been recorded by Uncle Kracker (a duet called "Me Again" between he and Jesse), Kristy Lee Cook (American Idol), and the duo Bomshel.

In 2010 Jesse recorded the song "Kissing in Cars" for the soundtrack of the motion picture "Country Strong," starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tim McGraw.

Jesse and Atlantic Records parted ways after three and a half years together. Her new EP, "Come After Me," has just been released and will be followed by a full length album this fall.